Frontex ‘may be helping’ Italian migration policy

The EU’s border agency Frontex has admitted that it may be helping the Italian coastguard in its controversial policy of intercepting boats of migrants in the Mediterranean and sending them back to Libya.

But Gil Arias-Fernández, the deputy director of Frontex, said the agency had no information on what Italy did with the migrants once they were picked up, and it had no say in the matter.

He was responding to accusations from the campaign group Human Rights Watch that Frontex was co-ordinating operations in which Italy was sending intercepted migrants back to Libya – a practice criticised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for violating Italy’s obligations to protect those in need. The office of the UNHCR said that some of those sent back to Libya wanted to claim asylum.

In an interview with European Voice, Arias-Fernández said: “Technically speaking, assets co-ordinated by Frontex are taking part in operations in the area and…these people could be sent back to their country of origin.”

But he said to hold Frontex responsible for the return of migrants to Libya was “far from reality”. “We can’t be accountable for decisions taken by Italy,” he said.

Moral responsibility

Arias-Fernández stressed that all aircraft, boats and personnel from EU member states involved in Frontex missions remained under the control of national governments. When patrols sent reports to the Italian coastguard about boats of migrants heading their way, it was effectively “not Frontex that reports”. But “it could be” that Frontex bore a moral responsibility. He added: “We try in all our activities to respect human rights.”

Disagreement persists among EU member states over responsibility for migrants once they are picked up. “If the situation persists then some member states could have problems participating [in joint operations] where there are doubts about human rights,” said Arias-Fernández.

Frontex statistics show a 31% decrease in the number of migrants detected heading towards Italy and Malta in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. Arias-Fernández said the Italian agreement with Libya to combat illegal immigration had contributed to this decrease.